Interview with Abhay K: Interviewer: Koketso Marishane

Please do enlighten us on the following based on the theme in brackets:

The Self (Yourself)

What people or experiences have taught you the most and helped you to arrive where you are?

I can´t think of any individual person or experience as such. I would like to put it this way that life itself is a great teacher. I have learned from all the people, great and humble, success and failure, joy and sorrow, highs and lows. I think the two opposites complement each other and give meaning to life.

​ 2. Are you ‘Pro-life’ or ‘Pro-Choice’ and why?

I am both and I don´t see the difference.​ 3. You’ve lived in many countries, cities, neighbourhoods, and houses experiencing different cultures with different people. What contribution did each of them make, how have they impacted your life personally and professionally and, what kept you afloat during the lowest moments?

Each place I have lived in has impacted my life considerably. Moscow, St. Petersburg, Delhi, Kathmandu have found their way in my poems. Wherever I go, I try to learn the local language, absorb local culture and write about these places amalgamating myths, history, folktales and imagination. I think it is important to change places, to experience different cultures, to learn new languages to keep oneself stimulated. Writing poetry itself is a very rewarding experience and helps me keep afloat during low moments.

4. What is your philosophy in life and how do you maintain it?

My philosophy in life is to learn something new everyday. Learning something new makes me happy. It makes me think and create something new.

The Art of Politics / The Politics of the Arts:

1. What factors do you keep in mind when giving advice about an investment in art?

Art is very personal affair. I may just like a curved line on a blank canvass. I think one should buy art that one really likes. One should not just go for the art works because they have been done by famous artists and possessing them can make others envious.

2. Considering your chronological age and the milestones in your career, would you say you loved politics or politics loved you and why?

What matters for me the most is living the moment. That´s all. The rest simply is an adornment I can do wthout. I don´t believe in impressive biography or an outstanding career. I believe in a moment full of bliss, that´s all.​River Valley Civilization to Silicon Valley Civilization:

How do you see the defense of royalties in an increasingly digital future?

Most of writers don´t make out a living out of royalties. They write primarily to share their ideas, their world view, to be remembered. I think digital world makes life easy for the majority of the writers. Off course the publishing houses aren´t envious of the great leap forward made in publishing technology.

2. In terms of governance in India, to what extend would you say ‘India is civilized’ put on a global scale?

India is a mother civilization. The influence of Indian civilization extends much wider and longer than the confines of the Indian State. Indian values have contributed a great deal in shaping the modern world and continue to do so.​Global Governance:

You’ve innovated the ‘Democratic Global Governance’ to be complemented by the Earth Anthem. Provided you succeed, could you please fully brief us about it in terms of mission, vision and objective?

I have not innovated the idea of democratic global governance, just advanced it through my writings. Earth Anthem stands out as a creative idea to bring the world together by singing a song in honour of our one planet independent of the idea of democratic global governance. Even schools and football teams have their own anthems, why can´t our planet have one. I think it costs us very little to commission a piece of music by a number of well known music composers and select the best out of those to be an anthem of our one and only planet. I am sure we can do it and in turn Earth Anthem can give us much needed symbol of our belong to one planet. When I say Earth Anthem, I mean it is not just a World Anthem for the humans, it includes other species who share this planet with us, it is not anthropocentric but earth-centric.

2. You occupy such a tiny but huge space in the global market as a global citizen with multiple awards to your name. Seeing that your work complements your lifestyle, when will ‘enough be enough’?

I believe in living moments as I said earlier. Awards and other decorations will come and go giving me transient pleasure but I want more durable sense of bliss of being a human, being a part of this vast universe, being able to walk this surface of the Earth on my own feet. That´s my bliss.

3. Considering the public spaces that you occupy, personally and professionally, when in public, how do you switch between speaking as public official and as an artist?

It is a fine balance. For example there are similarities between the art of poetry and diplomacy. The first one is ambiguity, the second one is brevity and third one is sensitivity. When a diplomat speaks it can mean this or that, in the same way best poetry merely insinuates, it is never direct. Brevity of expression is important in poetry as well as in diplomacy. Both the poet and the diplomat have to be sensitive.

4. Please list three most important words for the world today?

Sustainability, Innovation and Imagination​Closure:

What advice would you give to our readers and your fellows?

Learn everyday something new.Follow your passion.Live the moment.Sleep more, exercise more and spend more time with your friends and loved ones.

​

Interview with Hélène Cardona: Interviewer: Koketso Marishane

1. Being the multi-lingual professional that you are, please do enlighten us on the following: a. With a busy schedule like yours, could you please take us on a practical journey on how you spend your 24hrs?

I wear many hats and work as an actor, translator, writer, editor, teacher, producer, and dream analyst. So I live a very artistic and multi-faceted life and have to be very adaptable and flexible. Every day is a little different. Some days I’ll be working a on a film or TV series. It can be in Los Angeles, where I live, or on location anywhere in the world. I also get hired as a dialect coach in the film and music industry. And I do a lot of voice-over work, for movies, commercials, documentaries, etc. I used to teach at universities. Now I mostly teach privately or small groups, as this suits my schedule much better. I work as a translator/interpreter and as a literary translator. My translation Ce que nous portons of What We Carry by Dorianne Laux was recently published by Editions du Cygne in Paris. My translation from the French of Beyond Elsewhere by Gabriel Arnou-Laujeac is forthcoming in the United States. I'm also translating from the Spanish The Birnam Wood by my father José Manuel Cardona, and have translated many other poets, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Aloysius Bertrand, Jacques Crickillon, René Depestre, Ernest Pépin, Jean-Claude Renard, Eloise Klein Healy, to cite a few.The dream analysis or dream work that I do is very fulfilling. It's mostly Jungian, with some shamanic elements.And I help produce films that interest me or that I feel can have a postitive impact. For instance I co-produced with director Emmanuel Itier the documentary Femme: Women Healing the World, about the divine feminine and bridging the masculine and feminine, and I'm co-producing with Mark Eisner the documentary Pablo Neruda: The Poet's Calling.I balance work with yoga. It’s become a spititual practice. I also run and take long walks in nature. They are a form of meditation and replenish the soul. Reading and listening to music are a constant in my life. And I love spending time John, my partner. I’m a member of the British Academy of Film and Televisionand we see as many films as possible. I enjoy going to plays whenever I can and visit art exhibits. And of course I’ve always loved traveling. I’ve lived in eight different countries. My family is still in Europe. Finding time to write can sometimes be tricky. The only thing that’s missing at the moment is having a dog. So I befriend every dog (and cat) that I meet.

b. When you dream, what language do you use?I mostly dream in the language of the country I’m in, when it’s a language I’m fluent in.I speak English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Greek. And I usually dream in English. But I’ll also switch to French when in France, and Spanish when in Spain or South America. But sometimes while at home in the U.S., I’ll have a dream with bits of other languages. For instance, my grandmother will visit me and speak to me in Spanish. Or I’ll hear some French or German, and so on. Sometimes a new word appears to me in a dream for the first time and that’s how I learn it.

Now this raises the question of where home is. Right now hime is the the United States. When I visit my family in France and Spain, these countries are home too. They were and will always be home.So when I land in France or Spain, I’ll still dream in English for a few days, then at some point I’ll switch to French or Spanish. Europe was home for me during my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. I went to school in France, Swizterland, England and Spain. When I moved to the U.S., this became my new home. I was born in Paris. My mother was Greek and my father is Spanish. We moved to Geneva, Switzerland, and that was home for many years. I spent my childhood there and in the French and Swiss mountains. That was a very important part of life. We still have a place in Spain. I grew up in a very international environment. My father worked for the U.N. in Geneva, Paris and Vienna, among many places, and I feel like I was literally raised in the United Nations. His colleagues were mostly from Latin America and Spain. For instance Julio Cortázar was a friend and colleague of his in Paris and would come have lunch with us. When my mother worked, it was was for the European Parliament in Brussels. At home we spoke French, Spanish and Greek. In Switzerland, everything is written in French, German and Italian. That’s where I started learning German and Italian.The other interesting thing about my family is that both my parents come from countries that suffered under ditactorships. So politics were a natural part of life and conversation. My mother had already left Greece during the Greek military junta, but many of her friends were tortured. One of her friends was Vassilis Vassilikos, who wrote the novel Z, which was adpated into the Oscar winning film of the same name by Costa-Gavras.My father left Spain to avoid getting jailed for his writing and exiled himself in France and Switzerland. He was always politically involved and as a lawyer defended immigrant workers in Geneva. Frankly I consider myself a citizen of the world. I have three citizenships and am easily at home whenever and wherever I travel in the sense that I also feel at home in foreign places. I enjoy the feeling of foreigness, discovering different environments, cultures and languages. In a way, I could almost say I need that. I constantly work with many actors and writers from all over the world. I enjoy picking up accents and learning languages. I’m curious about languages and life in general. Knowing etymology helps you understand where you come from. Speaking different languages facilitates communication between cultures. In this way you become a bridge between cultures and civilizations.2.People are forever travelling to attend events (seminars, summits, conferences, workshops etc), but the media continues to show us variances in terms of nation building towards a peaceful future. Being a well travelled and extremely experienced individual, please do enlighten us on the following: a. How would you describe yourself (your life) within the broader spectrum of globalisation?

What can I do to promote unity? On a global level, let’s start with questioning nationalism. We’re all here as humankind and have to find a way to come together and overcome our differences to live in peace.What’s fascinating since the advent of the internet is that social media helps us get together, so that we can be connected to people from all corners of the world. We’re becoming a community that thinks the same way and bypasses prejudices. Two billion people are on the internet. Social media is facilitating a recognition of the unity of everyone across the globe. We all come from everywhere. We’re probably on the verge of discovering alien life and realizing that what matters more than our differences is what unites us. It is sharing this Earth. b. Why is cross-cultural education a must towards facilitating harmonious and sustainable development Post 2015? The more we educate ourselves about other cultures, the more we understand one another. We then don’t look at “the other” or “the one who is different” or “the foreigner” in fear. People usually fear what they don’t understand. And by understanding where we come from we all get to know ourselves. 3. Leading a colourful life as yours, please do enlighten us on the following:a. How often do you see your ‘own’ family and how do you rest?I see my family about once a year. I wish I’d see them more often. When I lived in New York instead of Los Angeles, I’d go visit at least twice a year. I hope to be able to travel more.I tend to exhaust myself and have to make sure I get enough rest. Sleep is paramount. I also like to cultivate a relationship with my inner self through dreams. Yoga and walks along the ocean are very therapeutic. As necessary as it is to be connected to the world, it is also vital to remain in communion with nature.To be in silence. To commune with your inner or higher self, which is connected to what we can call the divine or the force of universe.b. Could you please offer practical recommendations on how and why migration could be incorporated into Post 2015 UN Development Agenda, including through a new global partnership for inclusive development?The rise of the sea levels is going to force a lot of people to move. They will not be welcome and will have less rights. This has happened throughout history. What can be done about that is for individuals across the globe to see the unity between themselves and the relationship they have to one another. What’s required is a shift in consciousness.4. If you’re an animal, please do enlighten us on the following: a. Which one (animal) would you be and why?

I would say I’m inhabited by many animals. The wolf comes to mind first. Then the horse and several others. I deeply connect with animals. We are all one kin. It’s easy for me to communicate with them. I recognize myself and all of us in them. They’re part of our evolution. Speaking of home – again – I’m comfortable and at home around animals. I’ll take it even further. I need to be connected to animals to be happy. They have a healing impact on humans and it’s proven. Hospitals encourage people to bring dogs to visit patients because of their uplifting effect. Wolves have had a tremendous influence on us. They are great regulators of our environment. Our society is based on theirs. Each wolf plays a specific role in the pack. There’s the medic etc. They take great care of both their young and their old and are extremely intelligent. And they’re willing to live with us. The least we could do is return the favor. Every species and plant maintains our ecosystem. We should be stewards of our planet and take good care of it during our brief time here.b. What are some of the lessons for consideration and suggestions for improvement contributing to the development of the operational guidance for a peaceful society within an animal context?We are becoming more and more aware of how intelligent animals are. They are sentient beings just like us. And many countries have started granting them more rights. For instance in Spain you can no longer experiment on primates. In a landmark resolution, San Francisco recognized the rights of whales and dolphins: the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a measure stating that cetaceans, or whales, dolphins and porpoises, have the right to be free from life in captivity. The resolution states that the animals deserve “to be free of captivity, and to remain unrestricted in their natural environment.” In the EU treaty of Lisbon, animals are considered as ‘sensitive creatures,’ and recent amendments to French Civil Law have modified the classification of animals from ‘personal property’ to ‘living beings gifted with sentience’. In 2002 Germany became the first country in the European Union to grant constitutional rights to its animals. In 2006, members of the Dutch Party for the Animals (PvdD) became the first animal-rights MPs anywhere in the world. We still have a long road ahead challenging the exploitation of animals. It is in our own interest to stop mistreating them because it is backfiring on us.5. Based on your life’s experiences, please do enlighten us on the following:What criteria do you use when choosing the company (people) to be with at personal time and professionally? And based on the notion that we’re all passers-bye, in one sentence, what would your eulogy be?I tend to choose kindred souls, people with whom I share affinities.She lived with grace and had the best laughter.

Interview with Melissa Studdard Interviewer: Koketso Marishane

1. Living in the digital era as we’re already, please do enlighten us on the following based on your experiences: (a) What is your artistic philosophy and how do you maintain it? Art is about discovery and sharing. Inside each of us, crashing against the shore of ego, are waves of truth trying to push their way onto land. And though ego may be a fomidable boundary, through creativity, we can row into this source and tap all the prenatal treasures of being. Formless, we can restructure perception. Mute, we can reinvent language. Blind, we can reimagine light, color, and shadow; homeless, we rediscover spirit. Then, we return to the land of self with magic. Our inner creative source is neverending, connected, and generous, and it’s one of the greatest gifts available to us as human beings. We all have access to it, and I’d like to see more people aware of this birthright. What a great thing it would be if people spent more time creating and less time consuming. Regarding maintenance, I simply do what I love: I make my own voyages into that great sea, try not to get lost, and bring back what I can. To encourage others, I write, edit, teach, and host a radio show about creativity. (b) As a writer, what do you mostly thrive on and why? Art by others—poems, paintings, songs, films, all the ways of making—nothing inspires me more towoards the page than engaging with the brilliance of someone else’s mind and passions. (c) Given the choices you have for publishing your work, which one is your preferred format and why? I actually do not have a preferred format. The more the better. As far as I’m concerned, any way of sharing art, literature, and ideas is good. (d) Provided the platforms you’ve already exploited to execute your work, which one do you most enjoy in working at and why? Oh! I hope my platforms don’t feel exploited. ;) But I must admit, I’m a platform omnivore, and I find more and more that it’s all of a piece. I’ll wake up with lines in my head, write them in my journal, then move them to the computer, where they may become poems, stories, novel kernels, essays, blog posts, Facebook status updates, tweets, answers to interview questions, or any combination of the above—and who knows what else. Fluidity is key. It’s easy to move text around these days, so why not let the writing be alive and unfettered? Why limit the platform, even for a single piece? I find that if I write what comes to me, without concern as to what it’s going to be, the right vessels appear. (e) How important is your name? I don’t really know, but something interesting happened the other day. My eight-year-old niece typed her name into a Safari search, and several images of my book covers and author photos popped up, so she typed in my name and came up with pages and pages of articles, images, reviews, a Wikipedia page, poems, stories, posts, and so forth by or about me. She was excited. If my name can entertain and delight my eight-year-old niece on the Internet, then as far as I’m concerned it’s a good name to have. 2. Based on the notion that we’re all passers-bye, in one sentence, what will your eulogy be? Melissa Studdard was a dapple of sun on the tree of life. 3. As a certified professional artist, please do enlighten us on the following based on your experiences: (a) How do you maintain the balance between working to live and living to work? Such an important question! I forgot to live for a few years, and the people who care about me are currently nursing me back to life. From being a single mother to working in all the different capacities that demand me, I forgot to just sit down and look at the sunset from time to time, or to sleep, or to eat regularly. I think I was afraid if I sat down and relaxed for a few minutes, I wouldn’t get back up. But here I am now, working and relaxing—finding balance finally. I think ultimately it comes down to trust—trusting that you can soften into life and not lose the energy that animates your passions. (b) What’s the biggest mistake you’ve done in your life and how did you handle the situation? What I mentioned above—the gruesome, sustained mistake of living to work and forgetting that I’m also working to live. I think when someone’s work is a life’s work, rather than just a job, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there are other desirable states besides full throttle. For our work to serve the world and ourselves in the best way possible, it should take place within the wider context of a life well-lived. (c) What value does the title of ‘Prof’ add in both your personal and professional life? I don’t use it much in my personal life, but I love knowing it’s there. It carries a certain gentle authority that makes people listen with respect. 4. In your professional line of work, what do you anticipate to be your greatest impact to your fellows and what would be the greatest reward from them? In everything I do—writing, teaching, mothering, editing, and hosting the radio show—I hope to illiuminate for people how important their lives and actions are and to help them move towards truth, understanding, and meaning. The greatest reward would be knowing they are living intentional, fulfilling lives. That would be the cake. The icing would be knowing they are helping others towards meaningful lives too. 5. Based on your life’s experiences, do enlighten us on the following: (a) The most needed fundamental tools to becoming a success in your field of work: You just made me realize something interesting. The many jobs I do require the same basic skill set—facility with language both verbal and written, unabashed creativity, strong analytical skills, the ability to research quickly and thoroughly and then implement the research effectively, the agility to multitask regularly, and the capacity to focus so deeply that you can create even as your life spins in chaos around you. (b) Your one most favourite writer, dead or living, in each continent on planet earth? I don’t think I can answer this exactly as you want. I have too many favorites, but I’ll narrow it as much as I can. North America: Emily Dickinson, Toni Morrison Europe: William Shakespeare, Italo Calvino Africa: Naguib Mahfouz South America: César Vallejo, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges Asia: Rabindranath Tagore, Rumi Antartica: It doesn’t have indigenous writers, but it has certainly proved fertile to the imaginations of many authors, especially sci-fi writers like Ursula Le Guin and Madeleine L’Engle, both of whom I like very much. Australia: Thea Astley (c) Advice to people aspiring to your accolades, to literary patrons and the general public? It’s quite simple to say but not always so easy to do: Recognize, accept, and honor your own gifts. Share. You were wondering what your purpose is? It is this. I assure you. It is this.

Interview with Sayed Gouda Interviewer: Koketso Marishane

1. You've been described as someone who ‘does not negotiate, who presents his own world; a paradise lost with the none-transferable revealing naked truth uncompromised’. Literally and figuratively, what is different about you? What other qualities distinguishes you among the rest of the writers globally? This is the most difficult question to ask a poet especially since you put it in a global rather than a national context. But I’ll try to give an answer by saying that I’m not obsessed with becoming different from other poets. i’m not striving for that. A different poet doesn't necessarily mean a good poet. My own world is not limited to the everyday life we all live; my own world is an odyssey of the soul in search for itself. My poetry is an attempt to identify the features of my soul and recognize it by living with it consciously and by following all the changes it goes through in life. Socrates says ‘Know thyself!’ During this quest to understand my ‘self’, i encounter many struggles: a struggle to understand my relationship with the Beloved–– a love relationship that goes through many ups and downs. The constant scrutiny of this relationship produces conflicting feelings of tranquility and turmoil, peace and rage, acceptance and rejection, ecstasy and suffering, and so on. This relationship between a mortal and the Beloved is not separate from the relationships one encounters with people every day in this bustling life. Observing one’s relationships with others is also another essential part of understanding one’s ‘self’. i think this is the world i try to express in my poetry. It is definitely different from the world of other poets and this is how i can be different. For example, I have lived in different cultures for many years and have not returned home often. i agree with Dr. Birgit Linder, who translated my poetry into German, in describing my poetry that it comes from an inside home, an inner lyrical exile perhaps, yet it is deeply rooted in the traditions of Arabic poetry. Rather than being descriptive, narrative, or overly experimental, most of my poems are lyrical and meditative, taking their starting points inside of me rather than outside. Another level of being different is the way one expresses his/her world. For instance, Whitman explores his ‘being’ through his contact with the physical world; Eliot expresses his world against a synthesis of personal and historical backdrop; Roethke illustrates his journey of self-exploration through his mystic/landscape poetry; Yeats delves into his native culture and revives his native ‘being’ in a symbolic/mystic poetry, and so on. For me, not only is my inner being the starting point of my poetry, ideally it also extends deeper inside and reaches to its most inner essence. I express this interior journey in a simple language that is enriched with Sufi symbols and mystic mood. During my inner journey, I try to annihilate the ‘self’ and see it in its absolute weakness and vanity. No more is it ‘I’ but simply ‘I’. I’m learning how to see my ‘self’ as nothing. As for the relation between form and content in my poetry, even though i started writing in traditional forms, my form now is free in its external structure, yet musical in its inner linguistic combination and sonic formation. This musicality takes the Arabic metrical foot as its main rhythmic unit. I believe that any poet must master form in order to be able to merge it with content into one single entity without losing the form’s original musicality. With my mystic and symbolic approach, and with this way of expression that combines both traditional and modern aesthetics, I think I might be different from others. 2. Could you please briefly enlighten us on the following based on yourself and your work: (a) Artistic philosophy; (b) General analysis on literary artistic works from the old century compared with the most recent thus your first choice preference for indulgence; (c) your vision for the next generation of writers and (d) your experiences as an editor.

I think my first answer covers part of the answer to this question since my artistic philosophy is what can make me different from others. To further illustrate this point, I should say that i’m against trying to become different just for the sake of becoming different. If one is obsessed by this idea, this obsession might trap the poet into producing a work that is void of poetical aesthetics and literary merits. I’m against this obsession. One should not opt to spray a foul smell on one’s body only because one is tired of perfume. Therefore, the thing is: if one has something to offer to the world, this thing must be beautiful and must be expressed beautifully, otherwise, the world is in no need for it. Inventing a new language or a new way of expression is something that can happen maybe once every few decades. However, modernization cannot be restricted only to the linguistic level as one can also be inventive and modernist by introducing a new approach to life, or calling for a new world, or even reviving something or some values forgotten in our time. It is a matter of introducing something that is not currently practiced whether it is totally new or old but recently revived. While the element of foreignization is important, the element of familiarization is equally important. Yes, we are individually different but we are collectively similar, too. To summarize my artistic philosophy, i should say: ‘Be yourself! Observe your soul in relationships and express it in simple yet evocative language. Eventually, the world will see you different!’ As for my analysis of literary works from the old century compared with the most recent, this is a huge question that needs volumes to answer. There are many movements appeared in the world of English poetry only like New Criticism, Black Mountain, Beats, Confessional poetry, New York school, Black Arts, Language poetry, New Formalism in the US, The Movement in the UK, The Rhymers’ Club and The New Rhymers’ Club in Ireland and so on and so forth. To give you a short answer, I see a universal phenomenon in returning to old rhythm and lyricism. The musicality of old forms is returning in modern poetry in conventional and unconventional forms. My personal preference goes to the poetry that uses music to foster the meaning and not the poetry that uses music for its own sake nor the poetry that has no music at all. In terms of meaning, I prefer the poetry that has its own philosophy toward life and can evocate feelings and generate ideas into the reader and not the poetry that deals shallowly with everyday life in a prosy language that suits only journalistic writing. As for the writing of the next generation, i think writers didn’t leave a form or a style without trying their hands at it. They will go on writing in all these different forms and styles. What poetry needs more is a good critic to inform the public of what good poetry is, to dexterously chopstick it from among a great heap of poetry of bad taste. Editing a website of literature, mainly poetry, puts me in a constant touch with numerous texts of varied quality. The good news is that many people still read and write poetry. As an editor of a website that has become one of the most important and most visited literary websites in the Arabic world, I have to be critical and selective and publish only works of quality. 3. If you had to pay special tribute to five writers globally, who would they be and why?

I’ll choose five poets since we talk mainly about poetry. My most favourite five poets of all times in their alphabetical order are: Abu Al-’Alaa Al-Ma’arry, Li Bai, Rilke, Rumi, and Tagore. Why these five poets? Because their poetry enters my heart without permission! Each of them has this fresh spontaneity that is full of depth and eloquence and beauty and life. Al-Ma’arry’s poetry is a philosophic type of poetry; it takes you deep into the secrets of life and death as best as they can ever be expressed in poetry. Li Bai’s poetry is a celebration of life and joy without being tainted with all the disappointment and melancholy one suffers in life. Rilke, Rumi, and Tagore’s poetry is the food for my soul. Of course, i love the works of so many other poets like Al-Mutanabby, Ibn ar-Rumi, Ibn Araby, Ibn al-Faridh, Ibn al-Mu’taz, Mahmud Darwish, Salah Abdul Sabur, Amal Donqul, Badr Shakir As-Sayyab in Arabic poetry; Shakespeare, Shelley, Wordsworth, Whitman, Dickenson, Frost, Poe, Eliot, Yeats in English; Du Fu, Li Shangyin, Wang Wei, He Qifang, Gu Cheng, Bei Dao, Duo Duo in Chinese, and so many other poets in different languages. They are just too many to be listed here. 4. Based on the notion that all are passers-bye, what would your eulogy be?

I always ask myself this question. i think only my readers can answer it. But if it is about my wish, then I wish people would read me and say: ‘He was a good poet who wrote about life and death in depth and sincerity. He was not pretentious in anything he wrote’. 5. Had you not been into the literary industry, what other field would you have opted for – why, and what message would you give to the readers? If I had not been in the literary industry i would have wished to be either a painter or a musician. I do practice painting and sketching as a hobby and I wish I had a chance to learn a musical instrument. But if I had to choose something totally different from all forms of art, then I would have liked to be a physician to cure people from their diseases and lessen their sufferings. It is a profession that would still make me ponder over life and death. I believe that contemplating death is the essence of wisdom.

Interview with Perie Longo Interviewer: Koketso Marishane

From your life-long experiences within the literary field, which part of your exercise/practice did you most enjoy and why?

I enjoy all of it: the writing, sharing my poems with others in my books, publication in literary journals, the teaching both adults and children, but most of all I have enjoyed the teaching. When I was young, I was very shy, and found writing helped me find my voice. I like to help others do the same in whatever capacity unfolds for me. To hear others stand up and read their poems with pride is tremendously satisfying. We need all the poets we can get in our fractured world to help us see our connection underneath the skin.

2. As the second official ‘poet laureate’ within the USA that was almost mandated though it was a kind request to recite a piece on the eve of the Inauguration of the first African American USA President, Barack Hussein Obama, how did you feel about this? Also, just to touch a little from your piece you rendered that night: “But there you are, 44th president, Michele by your side with daughters in hand smiling bright as a planet. Kind of a miracle, wouldn’t you say? Considering the 60’s when you were born? Now the first African-American family in the White House, I cry Halleluiah! and quote a saying found on-line:“Rosa sat so Martin could walk; Martin walked so Obama could run; Obama is running so our children can fly. Hosanna, Hosanna” Could you please take us on a narrative analysis about this event placing yourself both as a narrator and a third person (audience) with special emphasis on the following figures of speech: “kind of miracle”; “Í cry Halleluiah; and why did you end the piece by “Hosanna”?

This is a two part question. As poet laureate, I felt honored and humbled to be asked to write a poem on the occasion of Barack Obama being inaugurated as president. The event was held in one of our local churches and the audience was composed of a cross section of people of all ages, races and creeds, but all Obama supporters. It was a moving experience of many others reading poems, giving speeches and singing songs. It was our way to celebrate a “miracle” in American politics. This brings me to the poem itself. Born December 7, 1940 the year after Pearl Harbor was bombed in WW II, I grew up with the mission of bringing peace to the world however I could. Writing poetry for me was my way of coming to internal peace, which is necessary, in my opinion, as a way to a wider peace in the family, community, and world. As such, I have been poetry chair for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation for many years (www.wagingpeace.org). When I wrote “Kind of a miracle, wouldn’t you say? considering the 60’s when you were born?” I meant the 60’s was when Obama was born, the decade where African Americans were finally granted equality. It was a miracle to me that in that short span of time, America had elected a mixed-race president to show how we had matured as a nation. Of course, there are those who still resist this. The quote that begins “Rosa sat so Martin could walk” is about Rosa Parks who refused to sit in the back of the bus where the “Colored” (as they used to say) had to sit. In doing so, she helped to create a climate where Martin Luther King, who spoke and marched for equality for all, could begin his work which eventually led to Obama being elected president. The quote was originally coined in a slightly different version by a senator from Louisiana, W.E. B. Dubois, and made popular by Jesse Jackson. The quote looks to the future with the words “so our children can fly”, which is of course about freedom of justice and racial equality. “I cry Halleluiah” to symbolize joy in a spiritual sense as in Gospel singing as well as any hymn, along with all those who voted for him. And I end the quote with “Hosanna, Hosanna!” as I began the poem, as an exclamation of praise to the Almighty, God, if you will, Divine intervention, for guiding us to make the right choice at that time in our history.

3. With your experiences in the literary arena, from teaching, heading organizations to your present title, what have you learnt from all of these and granted the blessings to live more, what do you wish/plan to do which you haven’t done before and why?

I wish to continue following the path I have all along. I would like to publish another manuscript of poetry that I have prepared, on a personal level. On a wider scale I would like to continue helping to bring peace to the world through writing and teaching.

4. As an experienced professional in literature, could you please share with us on the following: (a) Your artistic philosophy, (b) How would you position yourself on a global scale and (c) how you think or feel your words and performance was compared with that of the Presidential Poet Laureate, Dr. Elizabeth Alexander?

a) My artistic philosophy is that if each of us speaks from our hearts about what concerns us, we contribute to the good of the “whole,” making for a better world of understanding between all people. When I was a little girl I used to go to the drugstore close to our house with my father for ice cream cones. Above the counter was a saying: “Make the world a better place than you found it.” I took it to heart. b) On a global scale I have small impact. I have gone to Kuwait in 2005 at the invitation of Dr. Haifa al Sanousi, professor of literature at their university, to speak on “Poetry as a Way to Peace.” That is probably the most global activity I have done. In 2009 I was asked to write a poem for the “Women and Peace” annual awards given by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. It is on their website (www.wagingpeace.org). This poem speaks for all women worldwide and was posted also on the “Speaking Tree” website last year, I believe. There is this interview, I am happy to say, and then with all my years of teaching, who know where the pebble dropped in the pond of human experience may pulse. c) Dr. Elizabeth Alexander’s poem was magnificent before the whole world. Mine was on a far smaller scale for our local community. Our message is somewhat the same. She ends her poem: “On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,/praise song for walking forward in that light.” 5) What message would you like to convey to your fellows, our fellows as well as the reading community? When I was about 30 years old I heard a monk give a lecture in Santa Barbara. He said that in ancient times, as two opposing tribes met on the battlefield, the story goes they could not kill anyone until each person read a poem about who they were and who their ancestors were. This was astounding to me! When I was perhaps 5 years old I used to have a recurring dream very similar to that. I suddenly understood universal consciousness. I think if people of all cultures and beliefs delve into the poetry of each other, they will find we all want the same thing. We are all more powerful than we imagine. As Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I think that change manifests more clearly the better we know ourselves through educating ourselves through reading and writing about the reasons behind our beliefs and opinions, which can range from the personal to the spiritual. Thank you for the honor of being awarded as an “Enchanting Poet.”

Interview with Colleen Harris Interviewer: Koketso Marishane

1.In your present capacity as ‘’Assistant Professor’ who’s soon to be promoted to a higher level provided you satisfy the relevant bodies, how will your nomenclature affect effects in your profession and lifestyle? Could you take us on a narrative journey of the whole process, please? Title changes do not mean much to me, and I expect to work just as hard once I achieve tenure as I do without it. I am, however, hoping that there might be a lifestyle change if there is a salary raise involved, as I would love to buy a home. I very much desire the ability to paint my walls whatever color I please whenever I please, which is not an option with apartment living. The process is fairly simple and (luckily, at my institution) forthright. After so many years of working at the assistant professor level, I am eligible for tenure and promotion. A committee of my peers reviews my dossier, which includes materials showcasing my experience and growth in librarianship, research and service. Should they approve and want me to remain, they will recommend me for tenure. That recommendation then goes to the library Dean, the University provost, the Chancellor, then to the University Board. Should there be approval all the way up that chain, I will have achieved tenure. Many universities and departments do not have as clear guidelines as my own library does, where we spell out the expectations very clearly.Essentially I have worked hard to demonstrate not just competence but growth as a practitioner, scholar, and servant.

2. Appropriated the chance to justify yourself for all you’ve made throughout your life, how are you positioned and how is the room for improvement and the chances of your occupancy in it?I am very lucky, and with a tenure-track position in a career field I love (librarianship), I am able to engage in meaningful research as well as to satisfy my own desire to work on creative writing. I certainly have room for improvement in time management – I currently work a 12-month tenure track job, am a full-time doctoral student, I teach as an adjunct in various departments across campus, and I also pursue my creative writing in my free time. Creative writing usually gets the short shrift when priorities start competing, and I would like to make more space for it in my life.I also have not yet set down roots, as I have been too interested in exploring the different facets of life and work, and I hope to improve in my ability to truly integrate into my community.

3. Based on the current trend of living in a global village via digital divisions, how is your work and lifestyle affected professionally and personally?I find computers to be incredibly distracting. I do my best creative writing work by hand and in quiet – usually outdoors. I work on the computer with creative writing only to play with line breaks and so I can store and print multiple copies easily. Because I work at a university that serves a very diverse group of students, many of them economically disadvantaged, I maintain a consciousness about how I use technology, and how I assume others use it. I also work very hard to make sure that I use technology as a tool to solve particular problems as opposed to choosing technologies based on the shiny-shiny-ooh factor.4. In terms of language development in an information society that has emerged with the 21st century generation, what’s your take on digitising data with relevance to archaeological and anthropological treasures meant for clandestine disclosure and; how do you decide which direction to take with technology as an advancing mechanical tool?I think that digitizing information is an incredible opportunity to make it available to those who might not otherwise have been exposed to it. Aside from top secret government information and personal information, there is not a lot in terms of archaeological treasure that I would posit should be clandestine. Information is the essential weapon against ignorance, and if we can harness digital technologies to expand access to information, particularly about other cultures, I think we should do so with no delay. In terms of my own use of technology and my advocacy for it in my work, I try to make sure we match the tool to the need. Sometimes pen and paper are as advanced as I need to get; other times I require server access. It is all about the end result of what we want to accomplish. I do think that we as humans need to be more conscious of the decisions we make with regards to our technology choices.5. Based on your life’s experiences in academia, how would you classify your work on a global scale and what message would you convey to the newcomers aspiring your accolades?On a global scale my impact is probably very small; I work hard to improve services, experience, and the skills of the students at my local university. I try to present my work and research at conferences and have done so nationally and internationally, which I hope impacts other librarians’ and teachers’ practices for the better. My hope is really that my influence somehow either helps people become more effective at finding the information they need or helps libraries be more effective in the work that they do. My goal for my creative writing is that it touches someone somewhere, and that they remember my words with comfort and/or inspiration at some point in their lives. My message to any newcomer in either academia or creative writing is just this: you must do what you love. Only that will make you happy, only being happy will allow you to throw yourself heart and soul into your work, and only working with that sort of dedication will bring you satisfying success. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interview with Roger Humes Interviewer: Koketso Marishane

Does your relationship with your work change after it has been published and if so, how? How does the concept of publication affect your writing in general?

The change is I have to let the work go. I do go back, reread, and study them, but I know as for working with ton poems that they are done. Dylan Thomas once said if he kept working on the same poems he would have had no time to write new ones.

The only exception is if I later I include them in an extended work. For example, right now I am working on a volume that is a narrative using poetry written from 1972 until now. On some of these poems I have done rewrite to make them better fit the narrative.

Talk about the challenges and opportunities in accepting or rejecting work submitted for publishing by poets you know personally.

There have been few poets that I have knew before including them in Other Voices, and those that I did I truly wanted to include their work because of its merit. Luckily, this is been a problem that has not manifested for me.

Is your publication online, print or hybrid? Share your thoughts on the differences between these formats from an editorial point of view. Does your publication accept both snail-mail and email submissions? Explain your policies on this regard.

It is online. We refer to it as a cyber-anthology. We feel that online work has its niche in the publishing world but does not and should not replace printed work. Both I believe have their own important place in the world of poetry. The strength of online is that it is immediate and inexpensive to produce. The advantage of print is that it less ephemeral. A web site could disappear overnight. Printed volumes I believe will stay longer, especially if they use acid free paper.

Besides, physically curling up with a book cannot be replaced by an iPad.

Other Voices is by invitation only. The reason that we have a very small staff. When we first started we opened to submissions but were quickly overwhelmed by the volume. We were drowning in poetry so we had to limit the intake.

Most of our poets have submitted the work online, but Coleman Barks did mail his to me. I have also had a few poets accept our invitation, but I had to copy their work from their books.

Apart from following submission guidelines, what should a poet sending work do (or refrain from doing to stay on your good side?

This doesn’t really apply to us. However, we do try to keep an open mind. We see Other Voices as a repository of as many styles of poetry as we can post. I myself will include work that I do not personally like but recognize its quality and importance.

Appropriated the chance to position yourself in the literary space, how would you rate yourself on a global level based on your past-present performance work already done and how do you envision the future of literature on all formats?

I always view myself as Eliot said:

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous; Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous— Almost, at times, the Fool.

I my work is solid. I have had my good moments. I am particularly proud of my modern Western version of the Arabic story of Madjun and Layla. However, I am no genius or great writer.

Probably my biggest problem is that I do not push my work enough. I am always more interested in writing the next poem than publishing the present one.

As for the future of literature I believe that we are living in a fantastic era. Technology is offering so many new ways to approach writing as well as new ways and places to exhibit work, and the access to work that would not be as nearly available without it.

For example Other Voices has over 500 poets with work written on all seven continents (we found a poet who had been an artist in residence at an Antarctic science station). Can you imagine how hard it would have been to put together such a collection with email and the Internet, especially since many of the poets are not that well known outside of their country or region?

In addition, technology has given me the fortune to have the Iranian poet Sheema Kalbasi as a partner in Other Voices. She is an exciting poet with an incredible drive and love of the form. Co-writing poetry with her and working on Other Voices is one of the best things to happen to me in my life.

I live in California. She lives on the East Coast. I discovered her work through an online magazine, The Iranian, and first contacted her as a fan via email. I highly doubt we would have ever met if not for the Internet.

So I say in all forms of art and all forms of living embrace the technology and use it to your advantage. I believe that we are living in the most exciting time in history.

World’s first major ecopoetry award. With a first prize of £5,000 for the best single poem embracing ecological themes, the award ranks amongst the highest of any English language single poem competition. Second prize is £2,000 and third prize £1,000.